Method and system for wireless communication of audio in wireless networks

Abstract

A method and system for audio transmission in a wireless communication system which transmits digital video and digital audio in High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) format. Position information of audio packets within the HDMI frame is obtained. Digital audio information including the position information is transmitted from a data source device to a data sink device via a wireless communication medium. At the data sink device, an HDMI frame is reconstructed by inserting received audio packets into horizontal and vertical blanking periods of the HDMI frame.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of communicating audio information, comprising:
 determining horizontal and vertical position information of audio packets within a frame; and 
 transmitting digital audio information including said position information from a data source device to a data sink device via a wireless communication medium. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining said horizontal and vertical position information comprises determining horizontal and vertical position of a current data island including audio, within vertical and horizontal blanking areas in the frame. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , wherein transmitting audio information further includes:
 carrying in each audio packet accurate position for the audio packet wirelessly transmitted from the data source device to the data sink device. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 2  wherein:
 transmitting audio information further includes carrying position estimation information for all the audio packets in an aggregated audio packet wirelessly transmitted from the source device to the sink device. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , wherein transmitting audio information further includes:
 adding vertical and horizontal position information to each audio packet and aggregating multiple audio packets together utilizing a packetization process; and 
 transmitting the aggregated audio packets from the data source device to the data sink device over the wireless communication medium. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5  further comprising:
 estimating audio packet distribution pattern; and 
 carrying the estimated audio packet distribution in the aggregated packet. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the estimated audio packet distribution pattern comprises line distance of two neighboring audio packets within the frame. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 2  further comprising:
 at the data sink device, reconstructing a frame by inserting received audio packets into horizontal and vertical blanking periods of the frame. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein reconstructing a frame further comprises:
 generating signals at three Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) channels according to the horizontal and vertical positions, with audio packet header and horizontal and vertical blanking at channel  0 , and audio data at channels  1  and  2 . 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the data source device comprises a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) transmitter. 
     
     
       11. A system for wireless communication of audio information, comprising:
 a wireless audio source device including:
 a control module that transmits digital audio information including horizontal and vertical position information determined from audio packets within a frame to a data sink device via a wireless communication medium. 
 
 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a parser module that obtains the horizontal and vertical position information of audio packets within the frame. 
 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 12 , wherein the parser module obtains the horizontal and vertical position information of audio packets by determining horizontal and vertical position of a current data island including audio, within vertical and horizontal blanking areas in the frame. 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 13 , wherein the control module includes in each packet accurate position for the audio packet wirelessly transmitted from the data source device to the data sink device. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 12 , wherein the control module includes position estimation information for all the audio packets in an aggregated audio packet wirelessly transmitted from the source device to the sink device. 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 15 , wherein the control module adds vertical and horizontal position information to each audio packet and aggregates multiple audio packets together utilizing a packetization process, and transmits the aggregated audio packets from the data source device to the data sink device over the wireless communication medium. 
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 11 , wherein the wireless audio source comprises a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) device. 
     
     
       18. The system of  claim 17  further comprising:
 the data sink device comprising a reconstruction module that reconstructs an HDMI frame by inserting received audio packets into horizontal and vertical blanking periods of the HDMI frame. 
 
     
     
       19. The system of  claim 18 , wherein the data sink device reconstructs an HDMI frame by generating HDMI signals at three Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) channels according to the horizontal and vertical positions, with audio packet header and horizontal and vertical blanking at channel  0 , and audio data at channels  1  and  2 . 
     
     
       20. A wireless transmitter comprising:
 a control module that transmits digital audio information including horizontal and vertical position information determined from audio packets within a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) frame. 
 
     
     
       21. The wireless transmitter of  claim 20 , further comprising:
 a parser module that obtains the horizontal and vertical position information of audio packets, wherein the wireless transmitter comprises an HDMI transmitter. 
 
     
     
       22. The wireless transmitter of  claim 21 , wherein the parser module obtains the horizontal and vertical position information of audio packets by determining horizontal and vertical position of a current data island including audio, within vertical and horizontal blanking areas in the HDMI frame. 
     
     
       23. The wireless transmitter of  claim 22 , wherein the control module includes in each packet accurate position for the audio packet wirelessly transmitted from the wireless transmitter. 
     
     
       24. The wireless transmitter of  claim 22 , wherein the control module includes position estimation information for all the audio packets in an aggregated audio packet wirelessly transmitted from the wireless transmitter. 
     
     
       25. The wireless transmitter of  claim 24 , wherein the control module adds vertical and horizontal position information to each audio packet and aggregating multiple audio packets together utilizing a packetization process, and transmits the aggregated audio packets from the wireless transmitter to a data sink device over the wireless communication medium. 
     
     
       26. The wireless transmitter of  claim 25 , wherein the control module estimates audio packet distribution pattern and including the estimated audio packet distribution in the aggregated packet, wherein the estimated audio packet distribution pattern comprises line distance of two neighboring audio packets within the HDMI frame. 
     
     
       27. A wireless receiver comprising:
 a receiver module that receives digital audio information including horizontal and vertical position information determined from audio packets within a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) frame. 
 
     
     
       28. The wireless receiver of  claim 27 , wherein the receiver module obtains the horizontal and vertical position information of audio packets based on horizontal and vertical position of a current data island including audio, within vertical and horizontal blanking areas in the HDMI frame. 
     
     
       29. The wireless receiver of  claim 28 , wherein each packet includes accurate position for the audio packet wirelessly received by the wireless receiver. 
     
     
       30. A method of communicating audio information, comprising:
 including horizontal and vertical position information within a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) frame; and 
 wirelessly receiving digital audio information including the position information from a data source device. 
 
     
     
       31. The method of  claim 30 , further comprising obtaining the horizontal and vertical position information of audio packets within the HDMI frame, wherein the obtaining includes:
 determining horizontal and vertical position of a current data island including audio, within vertical and horizontal blanking areas in the frame. 
 
     
     
       32. The method of  claim 31 , wherein each audio packet carries accurate position for the audio packet wirelessly received from the data source. 
     
     
       33. The method of  claim 32  wherein:
 receiving audio information further includes receiving position estimation information for all the audio packets carried in an aggregated audio packet that is wirelessly received from the source device. 
 
     
     
       34. The method of  claim 33 , wherein the received audio information further includes:
 vertical and horizontal position information added to each audio packet and multiple audio packets aggregated together utilizing a packetization process; and 
 the aggregated audio packets are received from the data source device over a wireless communication medium. 
 
     
     
       35. The method of  claim 33  further comprising:
 reconstructing a frame by inserting received audio packets into horizontal and vertical blanking periods of the frame. 
 
     
     
       36. The method of  claim 35 , wherein reconstructing a frame further comprises:
 generating signals at three Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) channels according to the horizontal and vertical positions, with audio packet header and horizontal and vertical blanking at channel  0 , and audio data at channels  1  and  2 . 
 
     
     
       37. The method of  claim 30 , further comprising:
 obtaining position information of audio packets within the frame.